Thursday, April 4, 2013

Sassafras Mountain (3,560')
July
2009

Drove up and parked.

Directions: Route 178 (from I-85)
to the town of Rocky Bottom to Road 199 (or F. Van Clayton Highway). Drive
5 miles up hill, park and follow a small
path the rest of the way. (This highpoint was much easier to find than anticipated.)

Visited this highpoint with Rich. The welcome sign was broken and hard to read but we walked up the dirt road to the knoll and reached a construction site for installation of a cell tower.

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Not what we were expecting at a state highpoint.

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We weren't sure where the highpoint was but hadZumwalts highpointing guide and used the description to verify we were in the right place (namely a rusty braided wire coming out of a tree).

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Over the years this wire became part of the tree.

Same tree. Over Rich's shoulder is a path to a partial view.

The large tower was lying inches away from the USGS marker.

A few photos later we walked back to the car and left.

In 2010 the land was transferred and is under the care of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The area has been cleaned up and is home to a new monument.

Trailhead: From Asheville, take the Blue Ridge Parkway north for 27 miles to the entrance for Mount Mitchell State Park. (Double check these directions before you head out. A landslide closed a portion of the highway when we were there.) Turn left, on NC 128. Park just past the gated entrance, at the Park Office.

Hiked this state highpoint with Rich. Our original plan was to hike the Mt. Mitchell trail from the Black Mountain campground but we were having a leisurely vacation and balked at the idea of a 5.5 mile (one way) jaunt. So instead we parked on the road to the summit (you can drive to the summit) and headed up the Old Mitchell Campground trail.

Footing was good as we passed through clear and then wooded areas. It was cool and foggy, not at all the hot July weather we were expecting. But the conditions made for a comfortable walk up through the woods (there was nothing tricky about this trail).

The trail spit us out onto a paved walkway to the overlook.

Conditions were no less foggy when we got to the walkway near the summit platform. There would be no view today. A few hearty souls were milling around in sweatshirts.

A very nice state high point, well maintained.

Retracing our steps we got back to the car in no time. On to the next highpoint on our four-state-highpointing vacay.